Improvement in apparatus for printing skirts



lili

Je@ I36in THOMAS BYRNE, Oli BROOKLYN, AND THOMAS HENRY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Leiters Patient o. 86,132, (Zu/Leal January 26, 1869; antedated January 11, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR PRINTING SKIRTS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may conce-rn Beit known that we, THOMAS BYRNE, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State of New York, and THOMAS HENRY, of the city and county' of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Means or Method for Printing Skirts and analogous hollow goods of a conical or an approximately conical form and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

^ Our invention is intended more particularly for a method of printing felt skirts by blocks.

We Will proceed to 'describe what we consider the best means of carrying out our invention, supposing that felted skirts of ordinary thickness are to he printed, and. that the impressing-surfaces are ordinary handblocks employed in the usual way.

We hold the skirt to be printed on a former, of wood or other suitable material, made with a number of sides corresponding to the number of impressions'required to complete the circuit. The former need not extend the whole length of the skirt, but it must extend as far as the printing is to be performed;

. The great elasticity of felt allows the skirt to a'dapt itself temporarily to a plain pyramidal form.

In printing hat-bodies, and the like conical articles, in which no hole is cut at the small end, our pyramidaly former may extend quite to a point,'and the impression may entend quite to the point, but for ordinary skirts the ornamentation need not extend up above eight or twelve inches above the lower edge. For such work, we make our pyramidal former of 'suficie'nt length and to spare, and cover it with a skirt of uniform thickness and elasticity over the portions which are to receive the impressions. This under skirt is to remain permanently on the revolving former, and its edge should extend sufioiently beyond the limit of the impression to allow of tacking, or otherwise fastening it firmly. The skirt thus iixed performs the double duty of inaking a s oft bed for the impression, and of making a rough and adhesive surface, which aids in retaining the skirt to be printed.

Having thus prepared our block, and mounted it on an axis capable of being revolved, we stretch a blank or unpriuted skirt smoothly over the former, and print with the blocks on the flat faces thus presented. After each face is printed, the former, with its skirt, is partially rotated by hand or otherwise to present the next face.

To match the patterns, where the lines are not con tinuous, we fix two pins on the edge of the block, which projectsv a little below the lower edge of the skirt, and provide two corresponding holes in each face of the pyramidal former.

Having taken the color properly upon the block, and i brought 1t nearly into a position for printing, we carei fully match the pins to theholes and let the block down to a bearing upon the felt.

To match patterns in which continuous lines are employed, we prefer to use only one pin after the first impression has been produced, and to match the block at one edge to the edge of the face just printed.

In either case, after the block is properly placed, the impression may be given by`hand or by machinery in any approved manner.

In our experiments, we have operated very successfully by simply striking with a maul in the ordinary manner. p

We can print with any number of colors by employing the same or different blocks properly adapted there.-A

for in the usual way, and it is subsequently treated in any approved manner. Ordinarily it is dried, steamed, washed, turned, and chied upon a heated copper former, and then once more turned to present the printed and smoothed side. A v

The accompanying drawings represent what we consider the best construction of the Yrevolving former and its adjuncts.

The blocks may be ofthe ordinary character, and need not be represented; so, also, the details of the pins and the holes; but the pyramidal former may be most conveniently operated in the manner here represented; that is to say- A is a fixed bed or bottoni.

B C D are inclined posts, forming a stiff frame, in the form represented. l

The upper part of the post B is recessed to let into it the rectangular base or root of the arbor E, which carries the pyramidal former M, as represented.

The lower end of the arbor E is pivoted on the pin e, and after the skirt has been printed and withdrawn, the former, with its arbor, is lifted by hand or otherwise int-o an upright position, and is` temporarily held there by the hook G, which turns on the pivot g.

In this position a new skirt can be very conveniently applied, as it allows two or more. attendants to operate at once in drawing it tightly and evenly down upon the former. So soon' as the skirt is thus placed, fastenings being not required under ordinary circumstances, the hook G is turned to liberate the arbor, and tli'e arbor, with its former, is again turned down so as to hold the upper faces of the former in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position, as before.

Printing will, of course, be most conveniently performed, under ordinary circumstances, on the upper face alone of the former, but it will easily be seen that by the application of any suitable machinery, two or more faces can be printed at once, if desired.

Many modifications in the details of our operation may he made by an y goed mechanic without sacrificing all of the advantages ofthe invention. Thus, for example, the blocks used may be only sufficient to print half of one of the pyramidal faces, and the pattern may 'thus be repeated twice as many times as there are faces on the former. We propose, in most cases, to Work twol of these formers in close connection with each other, and to let the printer pursue his Work continuously without any loss of time, the attendant or attendants removing the printed skirt and mounting a new one'on one former while the skilled workman is printing the skirt on the other. v

We have said above that this applies to conical or approximately conical goods. It can, in fact, be applied in printing any goods, even without taper', by making a corresponding former and stretching the goods with `sufficient force, by machine or otherwise, toapply/'them smoothly upon it.

In short, our invention applies to the printing of any goods which are previously made up into a skirt, or the like, and require to be held tightly, embracing the fiat faced former. l

We nd that the stretching of the goods tends to promote the striking through of the color. This'g'ves a great advantage by aiding to gauge or properly pl'ce the turned skirt upon the `copper drying-form.

Although We have represented the fiat faces as regular and uniform, some may be made Wider than others, if preferred. It Amay sometimes be expedient to alternate broad and narrow faces, and to print with corresponding blocks.

Having now fully described our invention,

What we claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows: I

We claim the printing of skirts, or analogous hollow goods, on revolving` forms, M, having fiat faces presented successively to the action of the block, and stretching the goods successively thereon, and printing the several faces in succession, without moving the fabric upon its support, as and for the purposes herein set forth.

THOS. BYRNE., Wltnesses: THOMAS HENRY. W. o. Der, v

C. O. LIvLNGs. 

